Improvement in portable fences



J. MARTIN & J. W. BRIGGS.

PORTABLE-FENCE.

Patented Oct. 3,1876.

' INVENTORS S Y E N DH .0 A

nPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH MARTIN AND JOSEPH W. BRIGGS, OF PALESTINE, TEXAS.

IMPROVEMENT. IN PORTABLE FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,838, dated October 1876 application filed July 12, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOSIAH MARTIN and JOSEPH W. BRIGGS, of Palestine, in the county of Anderson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a fence for farm purposes, that can be easily and cheaply constructed in sections, and then quickly put together and firmly braced and supported.

The accompanying drawings show the construction of the fence in detail.

Figure l is a perspective view of the whole of one section and part of another, showing the method of connecting and bracing them. Fig. 2 is a side View of the middle post B, Fig. l.

The sections may be made of any length, and as many rails in height as desired. The rails r 1" 1, Fig. 1, which may be of any suitable form, are all of the same length, with a tenon on both ends, that on one end being just long enough to pass through one post, A, only, and the other end somewhat longer, so as to pass through the middle post B. The rails are arranged so that the long and short tenons will alternate, as shown by Fig. 1. The posts A and B are all alike, and may be made to drive into the ground, or not, as desired. A panel is made by fastening the posts A A to the ends of the rails forming one section, the ends passing through holes in the posts, with the alternate long ends projecting. Then a third post, B, similar in construction to the posts A, and with holes at corresponding distances, is attached to the projecting ends of the rails at one end of the panel, the ends of the rails fittting into each alternate hole in the post B. This leaves the panel with two posts at one end, the outer post being flush with the ends of the projecting rails, and having the holes corresponding to the other rails empty, and one post at the other end of the panel with the ends of each alternate rail, corresponding with the empty holes in the outside post, at the first end of the panel, projecting beyond it. The braces G are made, as shown in Fig. 1, with a hole in the upper ends to receive one of the projecting ends D.

To erect the fence, the end of a section with a single post and with the ends of the rails projecting is brought opposite the end of a section with a double post; then the braces O are driven into the ground, or fastened to stakes, and a projecting end, D, passed through the hole in the end of each brace, and all the projecting ends are inserted in the holes of the middle post B, made to receive them.

As many braces may be'used as the nature of the ground or height or strength of the fence requires. They may be made of any length, attached to any of the rails or on one orboth sides, as circumstances may render necessary, and, if not required, they need not be attached to every section.

We claim as our joint invention- The combination, with the alternately-projecting ends of the rails of adjacent panels, of the perforated post B and braces O, substantially as herein specified and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH MARTIN. JOSEPH W. BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE G. DEMING, Armw. S. DoNNAN. 

